Clemson football gets glimpse of future

David Eziomume had a run of 10+ yards in the effort.

by Ryan Kantor - Contributor - Nov 25, 2024, 11:04 AM

It was a beautiful evening in Death Valley as Clemson conducted its annual tribute to the US armed forces, honored outgoing seniors, and secured a lopsided victory. With a final score of 51-14, the outcome was a foregone conclusion early on. The annual FCS game before the Palmetto Bowl is mostly about the future — both next week and the years ahead.

In the short term, we saw the banged-up offensive line start Trent Howard and Harris Sewell at guard without issue. After struggling immensely against Pittsburgh, it was good to see them play well. Obviously, against a sub-500 FCS team, they’re bound to look better, but the success was nonetheless encouraging.

Cade Klubnik and Antonio Williams maintained their positive momentum after their big day against Pittsburgh. Antonio Williams reeled in five catches for 72 yards and two TDs. Bryant Wesco also re-emerged after several quiet weeks with three receptions for 75 yards and a TD. He is Clemson’s best deep threat and will be needed to challenge the South Carolina defense next week.

Unfortunately, despite those positives, there were still some familiar negatives. The field goal unit once again allowed a blocked kick, this time with a defender getting around Vic Burley on the right side. This was not a low kick from Robert Gunn III. It was a protection issue. With proper protection, starter Nolan Hauser has been a superb freshman kicker this season.

Even more pressing is the run defense, which allowed 288 rushing yards. That’s a season-high for The Citadel. Yes, a 5-7 FCS team that competes with teams like Chattanooga and Furman (two teams they lost to) ran for more against Clemson than anyone else. This is a huge concern for next week against a South Carolina team that runs the ball far better than a year ago. They rank 38th nationally in rushing yards per game (181.8). It also raises concern about why the coaching staff can’t solve this ongoing problem despite above-average talent. Next week, they should have Wade Woodaz back and could consider shifting to a 3-3-5 or other such scheme that keeps Sammy Brown in the starting lineup alongside Barrett Carter and Woodaz. This strategy worked well against Virginia Tech (though they seemed to abandon the run of their own accord).

In the longer term, the Tigers had some positives and concerns on Saturday as well. Backup running back Jay Haynes had five carries for 118 yards and two TDs. He appears to be the heir apparent to Phil Mafah. TE Olsen Patt-Henry had a big block on Haynes' 70-yard run and continues to impress as an all-around tight end. He also had a 16-yard catch. He appears to be the heir apparent to Jake Briningstool.

The biggest long-term concern continues to be talent acquisition as four-star defensive back, Tae Harris, decommitted from Clemson and flipped to Georgia Tech. He is the sixth recruit to decommit from Clemson. OL Jaylan Beckley, QB Blake Hebert, CB Graceson Littleton, DL Isaiah Campbell, and DE Bryce Davis all also decommitted. Clemson only has 13 commitments in the 2025 class and could be short-handed next year. While there’s some ambiguity about the timing of the rule change, the roster limit will soon increase to 105, and Clemson will struggle to reach even the current 85 without aggressive use of the transfer portal. It could make depth a major concern.

For now, all that matters is winning the Palmetto Bowl. With a win, the Tigers will finish 10-2 and earn their first quality (Top 25) win of the year. They’ll even have an outside shot of sneaking into the playoff as an at-large if Tennessee, Indiana, or SMU get upset. They can still sneak into the ACC Championship game if Syracuse upsets Miami. With a loss, Clemson will drop to 5-7 against non-conference Power 4 opponents since 2020 (including Notre Dame). That’s an ugly mark and one that can be used against the Tigers on the recruiting trail. It all comes to a head on Saturday.